An award-winning wine blog dedicated to celebrating everyday wine culture and helping you find delicious, varied wines from all over the world that are good value, interesting to drink, pair well with food, and are (mostly) under $20. Looking for something particular, like a Cabernet that won't break the bank or sparkling wine from Spain? Scroll down to the Topic Index in the left sidebar to locate wines by variety, region, or price.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

The Wine Book Club: the First Edition

In the spirit of the New Year, a group of bloggers decided to start an online Wine Book Club. Many of us want to read more--hands up if you've got a stack of books sitting on your bedside table with an inch of dust on them--and anyone reading this blog probably wants to learn more about wine. So let's give it a go in 2008 and actually read some wine books together. (potential logo for the Wine Book Club to the right, complete with a bottle of Bordeaux and a wine book from 1927 sitting on my dining room table)

Inspired by Lenndevours' Wine Blogging Wednesday, the Wine Book Club will be an opportunity for wine lovers around the world to read a book and then post reactions and discuss them on their blog. No blog? You have two options (three, if you are willing to start a blog): while you're reading you can use one of the public sites and discussion forums that are already set up on Shelfari and Facebook; or you can hop around the web and respond to the discussions that will be taking place in the comments sections of your favorite blogs. The host will post a round-up of contributions after the dust settles, and thanks to the generosity of Tim Elliott and Ryan Opaz we will also make use of a central website for announcements, roundups, themes, etc. When it goes live it will be at winebookclub.org, but there's nothing there yet.

Unlike Wine Blogging Wednesday, however, we're going to start by meeting every other month. Baby steps are the name of the game when it comes to New Year's resolutions. New book selections will be announced on the first Tuesday of March, May, July, September, and November. The Wine Book Club will reconvene for reactions/reviews/discussions on the last Tuesday of the following month (so February 26, etc.) If there is a lot of interest in the club, and people want a book a month, we can move to that format in 2009.

The host of the very first Wine Book Club is David McDuff, the intrepid wine retailer and blogger who leads readers down McDuff's Food & Wine Trail. And the book we're reading? It's tied into the Wine Blogging Wednesday themes for January and February, to give it some extra momentum. So head over there to see the title. Locate your library card or start alphabetizing the wine books you already own but haven't read, because this first book might be on your shelf already. Interested in hosting an upcoming event? Let me know, and we'll put you down on the list.

To keep everyone motivated between club meetings, Dr. Vino suggested we might play "Spin the Bottle" and invite wine bloggers to contribute reviews on books with more specialized content. When the bottle stopped spinning it pointed in two directions: Tim Elliott of Winecast and me. So look for coordinated reviews of the same book later this month, and if you see me in your inbox be warned: the bottle stopped at you this time. Have an idea for "Spin the Bottle"? Let me know that, too.

I'd like to extend a special invitation to those of you reading this from somewhere other than the US/Canada/UK: please set up a chapter where you live and let's make this an international, polyglot event. I would consider it a triumph if there was a Spanish Wine Book Club, a French Wine Book Club, an Italian Wine Book Club, a Greek Wine Book Club, an Israeli Wine Book Club, and even (yes, I know you are there, my Finnish readers!) a Finnish Wine Book Club. You may have to select different books, but it would be great.

Given this group, we're in for a fun time. Why not join us? Check out what we're about at one of our sites on Shelfari, Facebook, and winebookclub.org. Make room for the wine books on your nightstand, and get reading!

Great way to start the new year Dr. Debs. I have just ordered Vino Italiano along with Wine and Philosophy. Good thing there are 24 hours in a day.Any suggestions as to what wine to drink while reading it?

Thanks for all the enthusiasm, folks! Sorry for the silence on my end, I was at a conference. Wilf, you will have so many Italian wines on your "to drink" list after reading just the first chapter that I'm not going to give you any suggestions here--except to say maybe a white from Friuli, just in time for WBW? Friuli is the first chapter in the book, too. I've started it an I'm really enjoying it so far.

Brief Notes on Wines I've Tasted Recently

Live Feed Subscription

About Me

If you are commenting on a post please do so by clicking on the comment links included in every post's footer (just to the right of the share buttons above the date stamp). If you need to reach me for some other reason, I can be reached at goodwineunder20 (at) gmail.com. For my tasting policy, please click on the "view my complete profile" link above before sending an email.

Where Are the Scores?

All wine ratings are subjective. On this blog, I indicate QPR (quality to price ratio) for the wines I review rather than using the familiar 100-point scale because it better reflects my interest in a wide variety of high quality, reasonably priced wine. Here is how I evaluate the wine I review: Excellent QPR is used to describe a wine that has strong varietal characteristics and an attractive price point for that varietal. Very good QPR designates a wine with strong varietal characteristics and a less attractive price point for that varietal OR moderate varietal characteristics and an attractive price point. Good QPR designates a wine that is average in varietal characteristics and price point. Poor QPR designates a wine that is not a good quality for the price paid, because it lacks varietal characteristics and/or demands too high a price for the wine it delivers.
If you want to see a 100-point scale score generated by the tasting notes of ordinary wine drinkers (including me), check out Cellar Tracker!